Savage Carnival
by AishiExcel
Summary: Inside of the Savage Garden lies a little grove where the Midnight Carnival resides. This is Lestat's private place with him, their little paradise where the dark meets the light.... yaoishonenaislash, male OC's. Chapter Three... Armand and Lestat rejoin
1. Eyes

SAVAGE CARNIVAL

A vampire chronicles fan-fiction

(Lestat x Male OC) (Louis x Male OC) (Lestat x Louis) (Armand x Male OC)

Genre : Drama/ Horror

_Inside the Savage Garden, there is a place tucked away called the Midnight Carnival. This is our little corner of the garden, a place where the innocent and the dark converge… _

About this story: (skip this if you like,  ) This uses elements from both the Anne Rice books and the movies, so let me clear up a few things for you.

Seeing as the book and movie on Interview with the vampire are so close plot-wise, you can refer to either. However, we'll use the book version of Armand because I much prefer a 16-year-old Russian boy with curly auburn hair to… well, Antonio Banderas.

This story uses the book version of events from Queen of the Damned, meaning mostly that A) Lestat was NOT made by Marius, but rather, Magnus. And B) there was no romance between Jesse and Lestat (Akasha and Lestat, however, is a fact.) But seeing as I love the movie so much, as a treat to those who've seen it, Lestat may be caught singing some of the songs at some point.

As well as that, references to some of the books are made so it may help if you've read The Vampire Armand (Sybelle is referred to early on although she doesn't play a role), Merrick (both Merrick and David play a fairly important part in a later chapter), either Queen of the Damned or the Vampire Lestat (simply so you know about the origins of vampires, although you could pick that up from the movie) and possibly some further reading (passing references are made to Gabrielle, Pandora, and a few other characters.)

Of course, you're not required to know this, and you don't have to have Lestat, Louis or Armand's histories memorized back-to-front, just know a bit about them. If you really wanted to, you could get through this story on only one of the books or movies. The bottom line is for you to read and enjoy, so have fun getting through this. I apologize in advance for any OOC-ness in this story, because I know I'm not perfect, and I welcome constructive criticism. Also, it DOES feature OC's, although male ones, and if they're Mary Sues (is there a male form of Mary Sue?) please, PLEASE tell me. And if you don't like Shonen-ai or Yaoi… why the hell have you read the VC's?

* * *

Je suis le vampire Lestat. I am the vampire Lestat. I am the brat prince, the one who tasted from the mother of us all, the one who walked as a mortal, the one who met with the Devil himself.

But you already know of these adventures, and I would not want to bore my beloved mortals with a re-telling of the same tale. No, this is a new thread, a new tapestry to be woven. After all, I live to entertain. It is YOU that keeps me alive and splendorous, your screaming voices I long to hear again, your love and wishes that I was real.

But I get side-tracked, as they say nowadays. This story starts not with me, but in a small and ordinary suburb of the kind that fill the country of America. A nice, peaceful Suburbia type, filled with middle-aged business men, lonely unfaithful housewives, and their restless children, a mishmash of races sharing the middle class. Those youth

, the restless, experimenting, suicidal, beauty that fills the schools and the streets by the thousands… one such child begins this story.

So, as it is not my section of the tale to tell, I will hand it to its rightful narrator. As a great playwright once said, parting is such sweet sorrow. But I leave you with the promise I will return. When the proper time comes I shall be back in all my glory. So I know you'll be waiting with bated breath until my return. But until that moment, the story must go on.

With Love,

The Brat Prince,

Lestat

* * *

PART ONE 

In a nameless suburb in an average city in any state of the USA, a teenage boy slept restlessly, his dreams invaded by a burning pain. He was a beautiful youth: chocolate colored-skin that's damp with terror, long ebony hair styled into dreadlocks, and a slim athletic build that could belong to a basketball player or a dancer equally. He bolted up out of terror, and the eyes that flew open revealed themselves to be a shocking, electric lime-green.

It was these eyes that so captivated the monster perched outside his window, these eyes that he stared at through the branches of the tree he hid in. He was in love with the rarity and brightness of these eyes, he though. He watched as the boy looked around in terror, gasping for a second, and then became aware of his surroundings, sighed, and lay back in bed.

The monster in the tree had been stalking this boy for three weeks, knew his name was Rai Jackson, that he was sixteen years old, that he was a student at the local high school and took English, Science, Math, Art, Geography and Spanish, that he liked basketball and techno and parties, that he disliked wannabes, long phone conversations and some boy named Trey, and that he lived alone with his mother in a middle-class neighborhood. The monster smiled down at his sleeping prey, his Rai.

Soon, very soon, this one would be his.

* * *

(Rai) 

I awoke that morning like all mornings, late, and desperate not to go to school. I pulled on my school uniform (button-down top, blue blazer, red tie, gray pants), ran a hand through my dreads, and grabbed my bag. I headed out the door like usual. I was completely unaware that I was soon to die.

I was just a normal 16-year old boy named Rai… up until that day. But on that day, everything would change.

The day went as all school days do- badly. I thought that my problems were the end of the world, tests and other students and teachers, normal teen stresses. So after school I went to a favorite spot of mine- a pretty park not far from my house with a duck pond. I sat on the bench and before I knew it I was nodding off to sleep.

Suddenly my head shot up and I looked around, panicked, to see it was dark.

And sitting on the bench next to me was a tall man, dressed in the oldest and most elegant clothes I'd ever seen. His hair swept past his shoulders to mid-back, thick, luxurious and a deep brown, and he was wearing sunglasses even though the sun had set.

"Hello there," he said tentatively in my general direction. I saw a cane sitting near his leg. _Poor guy must be blind,_ I realized.

"Hi," I said, starting to pity him. He didn't look much older than twenty, it must have been hard.

He smiled in my direction. "Lovely evening, isn't it?"

"Yes, you got to love this autumn weather," I said conversationally.

"The water on the pond sounds exquisite. Are the leaves spreading ripples across it?"

I smiled. "Yes and the water is nice and clear so you can see the night sky in it, and the wind in the trees is making red and gold leaves flutter down to the pond and float along its surface like little boats."

The blind man smiled wistfully. "The way you describe it, it sounds stunning. Thank you for brightening up my evening."

"No problem," I said, feeling slightly better about myself for the good deed. "Well, sorry to run away on you, sir, but I should be getting back home; my mom will be worried sick."

He placed a tentative hand on my arm. "Not to be an inconvenience, but you mind showing me how to get to Joy Flower Street? I have a cousin who lives there, but I'm horrible with directions."

I was foolish not to think how strangely convenient it was that this was the street neighboring mine. Cheerfully I told him it was on my way home and that I would be more than happy to walk him there.

His grip on my arm tightened. "Thank you so much, you're a kind boy."

"No problem." I went to turn, but he wouldn't release my arm. I pulled, but he dug his nails hard enough to draw a yell of pain out of my throat.

"Such a kind boy," he said, opening his mouth wide and flashing abnormally long canine teeth. He leaned towards me, a searing pain filled me, and then everything went black.

* * *

The monster smiled, leaning over his victim, stroking his pretty face, touching the eyelids that fluttered under his touch. The boy's body was chained to the wall, leaving him looking vulnerable and untainted, so soft and sweet. The monster touched his victim's chest as it rose and fell with unconscious breath. 

"Beautiful, beautiful boy," he said with a smile that flashed his long canine teeth.

Suddenly Rai stirred and his eyes flew open. Immediately he began to struggle, his head whipping in around, sending his dreadlocks flying in all directions. His eyes were wide with fear; his breath came out in short gasps. He stared at the monster.

Those beautiful green orbs shifted through confusion, then terror, and finally he started screaming. "WHO ARE YOU? WHERE AM I? WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ME? I'LL CALL THE POLICE ON YOU! OH GOD! LET ME GO!"

The monster chuckled. "I am Lucas. You are in a place where not even the crows will find your body if I leave you here. What I want with you… you shall find out yourself in due time. You shall not be calling the police seeing as there are no phones here and no neighbors to hear you scream. And if you're a good boy and nice to your master I'll consider undoing your chains."

Rai was still panicking. "Let me go please! I', just a kid, please don't hurt me, please, please-" His words were lost as he choked on a sob. He started crying, tears spilling out of his fantastic green eyes.

Lucas took off the sunglasses he had been wearing and touched Rai's cheek. Rai flinched in anticipation of pain, shutting his eyes tightly.

"Look at me," Lucas said softly. He didn't, so Lucas slapped him. "LOOK AT ME!"

Terrified, the schoolboy obeyed. And he gasped at what he saw.

The 'blind' man's eyes were entirely black. Not just the pupil, but the iris and even the whites, were deep, endless obsidian. Against the pale of his face, his eyes stood like vortexes, black pits sucking down to the Abyss.

Rai also noticed he stood without assistance of the cane. And though it was hard to tell, it looked like those ebony eyes seemed locked on to Rai. He was something, but that something wasn't blind.

"You are gifted," Lucas said, caressing Rai's face. The teenage boy held his breath, trying to hide his revulsion at the touch. "Your eyes…"

Realization hit Rai. This…freak, this serial killer, or whatever he was, had singled him out because of his eyes.

From the minute he had been born his mother had told him he was special. "My baby boy was born beautiful," she bragged to co-workers sometimes. "He has the prettiest damn eyes I've ever seen."

True, it had always been a talking point amongst classmates and friends, this neon-lime color like a cat's. Always it had been there, his little irregularity, and now…

Now it had singled him out for some predator to kidnap and do who-knows-what to.

"One like you should not be forced to live amongst the commoners," he said with a smile. "One like you should be something MORE." He touched Rai's lips. "Do you know what I am, boy?"

Fear paralyzed his throat, and all Rai could do was shake his head.

Lucas sneered coldly. "But you should. You see us on your TV and in your movies, read our books, hear songs about us. You think we are fiction, but we are very real. I am… we are…vampires."

* * *

Even if you hate this first bit, review because I love to be criticised. 


	2. Transformations

(Takeda)

I knew Master Lucas had a new obsession when he started asking questions of me. He'd acted very nice, coming into the room he had given me, perching on the edge of the coffin he forced me to sleep in, and giving me his best smile.

"When you were a boy in Japan, Takeda," he began in a sickly sweet tone, "what things did you like to do? What places did you go?"

"Shouldn't you know? You stalked me for so long," I answered bitterly.

He grew angry then, but he'd kept up that syrupy smile. "Oh, but Takeda, I want to hear about it from you. Did you play with other boys your age? Did you go to school?"

"You're stalking another one aren't you?" I had snapped. "You're going to take some poor fool and force him into-"

Finally he'd snapped with anger and struck me, and the beating had begun like usual. Things like that had continued for three weeks. Sometimes he left as soon as the sun set to watch at his new obsession's window, which was fine except that when he returned just before sunrise, he forced me to sleep in the coffin next to him.

I hated him, I hated him so badly. At one point, as I lay cramped against the claustrophobic, unforgiving walls of his coffin, he had smiled and began to talk to me sleepily.

"You should be happy, Ta-kun," he'd said. It'd filled me with wrath to hear his use the Japanese nickname my mother had called me by. "Don't you complain about being lonely? Now you'll have another boy to talk to."

"I wouldn't wish this fate on ANYONE!" I snapped.

He opened his eyes. Those eyes filled me with the most potent of concoctions of loathing and dread. Their jet-black depths had locked onto me, full of anger.

"You are an ungrateful little brat. No wonder I haven't given you the gift yet! You need to learn obedience. No matter, now I will have someone ELSE to share my special powers with. He shall make a much better child than you EVER did." His face softened back to a sleepy smile. "I think I shall make him alike to me as soon as I bring him here."

That was what brought me here as I stood just outside the door staring at Lucas, watching as he tormented the boy.

"Vampires?" the kid asked, choking on disbelief and apprehension. "You're a …."

"Don't sound so skeptical, child," he said, stroking the boy's dreadlocks. "Do you want proof?"

The kid's eyes were huge with alarm. He said nothing, his mouth moving to make small whimpering sounds, but shook his head.

"Well you shall have it whether you like it or not," he said, grabbing a handful of dreadlocks and yanking the kid's head back. Lucas bared his fangs before sinking them deep into his victim's throat.

The kid started screaming, but his cries died away into helpless whimpers as Lucas drank deep from him. Taking a deep breath I closed my eyes and looked away. This was a scene all too familiar to me. Like the beatings, I had tried to get used to Lucas's bites, but I couldn't.

Lucas must have stopped himself, because he was speaking again now, very softly, to his new 'pet'.

"There's a good boy. You just stay tight now, the sun's almost up, and I'll send in a friend for you so you won't be lonely. I'll be back as soon as the sun sets again." He kissed the boy on the cheek and came towards the door. Heart pounding, I looked for somewhere to hide, but HE was already there.

"Eavesdropping, Ta-Kun?" he said angrily. I tried to swallow the lump growing in my throat. He pushed me against the wall, breath hot on my face. "That is a habit that you must learn to give up." My pulse jumped as one of his hands reached up to my chin to tilt it up.

"See to your new companion. Make sure he wants for nothing. If you spread your rebellious attitude to him I shall see to it that both your legs are broken and I lock you in a coffin again." He patted my cheek and left me there, shaking.

I gathered myself and walked over to where the boy was chained, approaching cautiously. He was still whimpering from the bite.

He looked up at me out of pained eyes.

"It's okay," I whispered. "It's okay, I'm not like him. I'm like you."

I studied him. He was African-American in descent from the looks of it with his skin like milk-chocolate and thick black dreadlocks. He wore a school uniform that was dirty, the tie and top buttons of his shirt undone, the blazer missing, his pants ripped at the knees. Besides that he still had a look of pure terror in his eyes. Ah, the eyes. The same reason Lucas had stolen ME away years ago. His eyes made him look like he was half-cat, being such a bright green. If only he had contact lenses disguising those, maybe he wouldn't be here.

He whimpered again. "Hush, it's aright. I won't hurt you. Look, he hurts me too." I flashed one of the bruises on my throat to him to reassure him. "Now let's get you down from these chains."

I rummaged around for the key and had to catch the kid as he stumbled once I unlocked him.

"What's your name?" I asked once I had him down in a comfortable sitting position.

"Rai," he murmured shakily.

"I'm Takeda."

"What's going on?" he said, staring to cry. "I'm just a normal kid. I wanna go home! I got to be dreaming, this is nothing but a bad dream, I got to be dreaming, this can't be real-" He grabbed a hold of me and buried his face in my chest, sobbing.

Awkwardly, I patted him on the back, mumbling reassuring nothings, while inside, I was cursing Lucas again and again.

* * *

(Rai)

I didn't know what to do As soon as the boy told me his name, a whole heap of emotions flooded me and I started crying. The next thing I knew I was clinging to him sobbing.

I must have cried for 15 minutes before I couldn't cry anymore and just sat there numbly, letting Takeda pat me on the back.

He seemed nice enough and it didn't look like he was like Lucas, so I thought it was better to trust him than be alone. I moved back to look at him.

He was Asian, Japanese by the shape of his eyes, and strikingly good-looking. His hair was thick and blue-black and fell down to his shoulders and over one eye. He wore a simple, baggy black t-shirt and black jeans, though they were both bloodstained and ripped in various places.

He was in ragged shape. He had bruises all along his arms and neck, a couple on his face, gouges and bite-marks at his throat and wrists, and even burns in some places. The skin I could see through the rips in his clothes was similarly cut and bruised.

What I noticed next was the color of his eyes. Despite being almond-shaped, they were an intense electric blue. And if it was the eyes that Lucas wanted, I imagined these were the reason he was here.

"You okay now?" he asked quietly. I nodded.

"Good. I know you must be scared and in shock and all kinds of things. I remember the first time he took me."

"Yeah?" I managed to say hoarsely.

"Yeah. I was a lot worse off than you are. I was only 13, I barely spoke English, and I had no-one to look out for me the way I'm gonna look out for you. He won't hurt you while I'm around. I got you now."

I still felt numb, but smiled at him as best as I could. I may have been afraid, but I wasn't alone, and that was a good thing amongst a million bad things.

Rai seemed to have calmed down once I told him that I would look out for him. He tried to smile at me, even.

"So," he began, in a small voice, "you said you were only 13 and didn't speak English. How old are you now? Your English is perfect. I don't even hear an accent. How long…"

I sighed heavily. "Lucas has… 'Had' me for 6 years now. I'm 19 now."

Rai pulled away from me and stared at me in shock. "6 years?"

"6 years," I repeated.

"But, why-"

"Would he keep me so long? I know, I figured he would have killed me and have been done with it. But I'm useful. I can go places he can't; I can walk during the day. I … I have blood in me for him to feed on. Also, I think he had some intention of… well, making me like him." I looked at Rai. "That's what he wants you for, now."

Rai grimaced and huddled up, closer towards me.

"He won't make me one now because he knows I'll kill him and escape," I said flatly. "I haven't stopped rebelling since he stole me away, and it's too late to stop now. Mostly these bruises you see are from … 'punishment'." I put a hand on his head. "But you're new, he trusts you. Play nice, go along with what he says, and you should be okay." I reached down and fixed Rai's shirt, buttoning up the buttons and tying his tie for him. I already felt this overpowering urge to protect him, this strong instinct to guard over him with my dying breath if need be. There was a sort of naivety in his eyes that endeared him to me. I let go of his tie and touched his cheek where Lucas hat hit him. It was swelling up and bruising already.

"I'm sorry about this. Let's get some sleep and maybe it will be better when we wake up," I whispered. He nodded and we curled up right there on the floor, partially for body heat because it was freezing in the cold depths of this sunless room, partially because Rai was terrified and I wanted to make sure he slept soundly, and partially because some guilty little part of me enjoyed the sensation of being curled up to someone and not fearing them, having a heart pound against me. Pure exhaustion took me over and I drifted into a thankfully black and dreamless sleep.

When we awoke it was nearly sunset. I panicked. Lucas would be up any minute.

"Rai! Rai! Wake up!" I shouted, shaking him vigorously.

"Ohm… mom, give me a minute," he mumbled.

"WAKE UP!" I demanded. He gasped and bolted up. It took a second for him to register where he was and who I was. A look of disappointment crossed his face.

"I thought it was a bad dream…" he muttered.

"Lucas will be awake very soon," I warned.

He chewed his lip. "I'm……scared."

"So am I, and I've been trapped with the creature for 6 years," I whispered. "Don't worry. If I antagonize myself, he'll spend all his anger on me and you'll be spared."

"What are you talking about?" he asked. Just then I heard Lucas's footsteps.

"Forgive me," I whispered.

_Here we go, _I thought, waiting until Lucas was in vision range and then grabbing Rai and kissing him viciously and forcefully.

The kiss didn't last long because Lucas ripped me away from 'his property' and slammed me against a wall- HARD.

"I will NOT tolerate this… this BETRAYAL! You dare try to steal my new child and corrupt him with your pathetic rebellious ways?" he screamed, crushing me further and further against the wall until a cry of pain escaped my throat.

"What, and leave him to a freak like you?" I said, trying to sound cocky through the pain.

He threw me to the ground and I landed in an awkward position on my shoulder. "I TAKE YOU IN AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?" he shrieked.

"You know what they say. Payback's a bitch," I whispered. Lucas kicked me in the ribs, knocking my breath from me.

"YOU FILTHY UNGRATEFUL LITTLE MAGGOT!" he howled. He yanked me to my knees by the hair. "You shall never, EVER become a vampire. You shall die; waste away in your coffin, rot to become food for the worms!"

"I'd rather have it that way," I wheezed.

He shook me and struck me across the face several times, and I bit my tongue to keep him from having the satisfaction of hearing me scream. Finally he threw me into a corner where I lay, crumpled like a broken doll, trying to pick myself up.

He made his way over to Rai, pulling him to his feet rather roughly. "Not like you, little Rai. You're a good boy, aren't you?"

"Y-yes," he stammered.

Lucas trailed a finger down Rai's cheek, moving to his throat, and then toying with the buttons on his shirt. The dark hollows of his eyes locked onto 'Little Rai' lasciviously. "That's good. As a good boy, you're going to be rewarded. Bad boys get punished."

Rai's breath was coming in short gasps, not from desire as Lucas would like to think but out or terror. But he tried his hardest not to move or flinch as Lucas kissed his throat.

Lucas patted him on the head. "That's good, very, very, good. I have a present for you." The finger that was toying with Rai's buttons popped them open, one by one, exposing his smooth chest.

_Oh, lord_, I though silently, he's _going to do something unmentionable to Rai!_ I mustered up the last of my strength to call out. "You gonna give him a present like the one I gave him during the day, Lucas? He loved it."

Lucas turned to me with furious eyes. "Keep quiet, Takeda, or I will feed you to him once I have done this."

My heart pounded. This was it… he was going to make Rai into a vampire. I locked eyes with the younger boy and he gave me a pleading look. I tried to say "hold in there" with my eyes, but wasn't sure if he got it.

The vampire moved close to his prey, smiling that disgusting, lust-filled smile that I hated. "This will only hurt for a second," he said in a husky voice. "You might even like it." He kissed Rai lightly on the lips, then the throat, working his way down to Rai's chest. There was no disguising the repulsion in Rai's eyes, but he tried.

When he was right over Rai's heart, he bit the tender flesh, drawing blood and a quick intake of breath out of Rai. The boy groaned in pain, not pleasure, but Lucas was spurred on by the sound and drank more. He pulled away from the bleeding wound, his lips stained red, and Rai's life dribbling down his chin. "I think you are ready. You can be an immortal. You can be beautiful, powerful, and never grow sick or old. Will you accept this?"

"Y-yes," stammered Rai, but he didn't sound tempted.

Lucas returned to open wound, licking the drops of blood away from it.

It seemed like he drank from Rai for ever. There was nothing I could do as I watched to boy grow paler and paler, his eyes drooping closed, his face losing its color. And then Lucas tore his head back, his cheeks flushed red. "Now, Rai, it is your turn to drink from me." He tore his wrist open and pressed it against Rai's mouth. Rai lapped at the blood weakly, then more and more frantically, grabbing Lucas's arm and shoving it against his mouth.

He fell away, collapsing to his knees, screaming in pain as all his human fluids were shoved from his body by this elixir, crying out, and tears leaking down his face. He went through the pain of dying and was unable to die. And then…

Rai's eyes opened. He looked around, a new light in him. His skin was pale, the coffee with too much milk, he opened his mouth to speak and I saw the sharp little canines like daggers brush his lips with his words.

"I'm thirsty."

He sat up, looked around, and the fluidity of his movements surprised me.

He wasn't a human any longer. No, he was now a vampire.

* * *

(Rai)

I opened my eyes and saw with my Vampire Sight for the first time, and though there was not much to see besides Lucas, a barren room and Takeda's body, I gasped at the new depth to all of it, the colors that had not existed before. Shadows moved with a life all of their own, the walls breathed…

And then there was the thirst. "I'm thirsty," I said delicately, puzzling at the sensation of my sharp teeth inside my mouth.

"Yes, yes, drink," Lucas said, helping me to my feet. He waved at Takeda offhandedly. "Let him be your first feed. God knows he's not worth it."

I looked at Takeda, a plan forming in me. I tried to look cocky as I strode over to him, pulling him up by the hair.

"Forgive me," I mouthed, before rearing my head back and sinking my fangs deep into his soft throat.

Oh, but that first moment of it, that first draught of blood, was so good. I groaned against Takeda's neck, and it took everything I had not to suck him dry then and there. Instead, I took just enough, just before Takeda would die, on the edge of his life."Lucas… master…" I said, trying to sound seductive, and failing miserably. "Come here, I want to… share this taste with you."

He sauntered over. "Yes, little Rai?"

I spun fast, shoving him to the ground, tearing at his throat with my teeth and nails, shoving him down onto Takeda who latched onto him and began drinking desperately at his blood.

Takeda gasped suddenly, releasing Lucas, falling back to the ground, screaming. It took all I had to continue restraining the struggling Lucas through Takeda's transformation, but he was drained of blood so not at top strength. And then the world was standing still, and Takeda sprung to his feet, looking around in wonder and amazement. A slow grin spread onto his face.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Lucas was shrieking. "YOU'RE BOTH UNGRATEFUL, I SWEAR I"LL KILL THE BOTH OF YOU-"

"Shut up," Takeda hissed, lunging towards Lucas. He snarled and lashed out with his nails, nails that were now sharp and hard as glass. He tore and ripped and bit and thrashed at Lucas as I held the vampire down. And then, his face contorted with fury, Takeda took his thumb and drove it into Lucas's eyes one at a time, rupturing those black orbs once and for all. I dropped Lucas's body on the floor.

He and I stood, staring at it for a second, before Rushing to each other and from the room, looking frantically for an escape.

"What do we do now? We're vampires, murderers," I cried to Takeda as we searched through every room.

"We sure as hell can't go to the police," he said hysterically.

"Where do we go?" I yelled anxiously.

"Out this window for starters!" he snapped, having found a window that was covered with thick metal plates. "Help me pry these off!"

"You're not going ANYWHERE," snarled a voice and a bloody figure limped into the doorway.

Lucas stood in the doorway, his skin still in tatters from Takeda's attack, but healing as we watched, knitting itself together.

* * *

Next chapter, Armand and Lestat come back into the story. Even flames are welcomed so long as they're reviews TT I know this chap was kinda long... 


	3. Strays

(Armand)

The next part of this story is mine to tell, much to Lestat's disliking for he is itching to return to narrating. I shall try to keep it simple and to the point so as not to trigger his impatience, but some detail is necessary. First I must say that I had met the abomination Lucas before, and tried to kill him. He was about two hundred years old when he made Rai and Takeda, but I had met him long before that when he was but one hundred years old. I would never forget those freakish obsidian eyes, or the fact that he had managed to escape me. And I was surprised when, one night as I was hunting, I sensed him again- in an area which was known as Lestat's territory-New Orleans.

He was in a warehouse that reeked of death and blood, which I quickly smashed my way into. I had an old grudge against Lucas that needed to be settled.

He was terrorizing two young boys-not just boys but newly made vampire fledglings- and it looked as though they had tried to finish him off. He was tattered and torn, and the eyes that had once appeared as empty, now truly were, blood dripping from their bare sockets.

He spun, looking around for this new sense of power but blind. "Who is that? What do you want?"

"As they say these days, Lucas, 'long time, _no see._" I said flatly. "Have you forgotten that you owe me a debt?"

"I owe you NOTHING, Armand!" he spat.

"Ah, but you do. Your life. And I am here to collect," I said softly, walking towards him.

He was unable to escape me as I plunged my hand into his chest and ripped his still-beating heart from it, crumbling it to dust between my fingers. His limp form fell to the ground and I laid eyes on the two boys for the first time.

Seeing them there, huddled in the corner, I wondered what to do. Normally I might just have slain them as well. But something endeared them to me as the looked up, unsure whether to be grateful or afraid, covered in the blood of an enemy of mine. I think it was the fact that, despite being only hours old, they had done such a good job of their attempt at killing Lucas.

Their humble terror quickened as I walked towards them. "Don't worry," I reassured. "He is dead."

"T-thank you," stammered the dark-skinned boy. He reminded me of a cat with his bright eyes and lithe body.

The Asian boy could say nothing; just look up at me gratefully. I was struck immediately by the sheer determination in his eyes. This one had the spirit of a fighter, and he was beautiful with his almond, blue-sky eyes. He finally managed to say, "What now?"

"You must feed, first of all, both of you. Come on now, there is not much longer before the first rays of the sun will draw you in to sleep."

The followed me out like the lost children they were as I headed out into the night to hunt. I pulled their names from their minds- Rai and Takeda. I showed them all they would need to know- they marveled at their ability to feel the feelings of the mortals around them, listened carefully as I told them not to when the heart stopped and instructed them on the disposal of the body, and lost themselves in the sensations of a new birth into a new life. Somewhere in the back of my mind I thought I would love to introduce them to Sybelle and Benji, and then I saw what a shocking state they were in, drenched in their maker's blood and each other's, barely decent in their tattered rags, and so I decided to take them back to my residence.

The truth of the matter was, if they were not under the protection of a more powerful vampire, two newborns like them would be killed easily, and seeing as I had slain their master…

"Come with me, you'll attract far too much attention half-naked and bloody," I said, separating Takeda from the body of the degenerate criminal he had been feeding from. Taking him by the hand, and with Rai holding his other hand, I led them back towards the place where I spent my days.

(Lestat)

And this is where I may once again pick up the threads of this story. I know that you missed me, do not lie, just as I have missed telling this tale to you. You love me, and I love you for loving me.

But now Armand is telling me that I elaborate far too much on myself, and that the story waits for me to tell it, so to please one ill-tempered auburn-haired vampire, I shall .. 'Get to the point'.

I was listening to Armand's Sybelle playing the Appassionato once more, with Louis sitting behind me trailing his fingers through my hair, when Armand burst through the door towing two blood-drenched teenagers, newborn vampires as you would have it.

"Come this way," he said, "we shall get you two cleaned up."

"Armand!" I demanded, springing to my feet, "What is the meaning of this?"

"I did not make them, if that is what you mean," he answered. "I killed their maker and…" He shrugged. "I could not leave them in that state."

"This is unlike you!" I puzzled aloud. "You don't normally bring home strays as though you could keep them as pets,"

"No, Lestat, that is more YOUR style," Louis commented in the background. I chose to ignore him.

"You do not know what is or is not like me, Lestat, so don't assume you know me better than I do myself," Armand snapped. He turned to the strays. "Pay no heed to this nasty vampire; he goes by the name of Lestat. In case you were wondering, Lestat, their names are Rai and Takeda." He dragged them towards the bathroom. "Come, I'll run a bath for the both of you. You will be too tall for any of my clothes, but perhaps Louis will be willing to lend you some of his own."

He ushered them in and began running the water for them, leaving me stunned speechless.

Louis approached behind me, shaking his head. "Of you, Lestat, I would expect something like this, but never of Armand. Do you think you are…? 'rubbing off on him', as they say?"

"I do not know, but I don't like it," I said irritably.

Armand emerged from the bathroom with an armful of bloodstained rags, walking straight past me towards Louis. "Take these and put them somewhere FAR away," he exclaimed with a wrinkled nose.

Louis held the clothes at arm's length away from him so they would not stain his own garments and rushed out to dispose of them, leaving me with Armand.

"Now what is this all about, Armand?" I asked. "Do not tell me I do not know what is like you. Louis was right. And just who are these fledglings?"

Armand sighed. "I'm not sure, Lestat, but take one look at them and tell me you do not love them already."

I watched them, as the dark-haired stray cleaned his companion's face tenderly. "Alright, I am besotted with them already and I have just laid eyes on them," I admitted. "Fine, you can keep them around, two strays could not be that much inconvenience to us, but don't make a habit of bringing home other vampire's fledglings," I grumbled, then laughed at my own grouchiness."

Louis was just returning. "So you mean to tell me we are keeping them, Lestat?" he asked quizzically.

"They could brighten things up around here, lord knows it's been dull," I said with a smirk. "And we could use pets around the house."

It was true; however, they did brighten things up. Over the next few weeks, we grew to treat Rai and Takeda like new puppies, fun to play with and lavish attention on. It had been so long since something like this had occurred, not since Claudia had we spoiled anyone so. Louis and I, and even Armand, enjoyed ourselves more than we had in decades. We took them to every event, bought them outfit after outfit, and lavished attention on them. They were as much playthings as they were companions, I must admit. And I grew especially infatuated with Rai, whose enthusiasm and optimism seemed to light up a room. He was really lovely to look upon, with a heart-shaped face, big round eyes, and soft, kissable lips. Together, he, Takeda, Louis, Armand and I made quite a scene, catching the eyes of all the besotted mortals. Yes, it was reminiscent of our days with Claudia, and Louis and Armand smiled more between the two of them than I thought was possible.

One evening in particular, we were at a party and Rai and I were standing on a balcony. Rai was laughing: at the moon, at the stars, at himself for laughing. And then… suddenly his laughter was cut off and he descended into silence.

"What's the matter?" I asked, not wanting to see him with that pout on his sweet face.

He shook his head, whipping his dreadlocks around fantastically. (I loved to tangle my fingers in those dreadlocks.) "It's nothing. I just thought…"

"Go on?" I asked, absentmindedly tracing patterns on the railing with my fingers.

"Well, I thought about my mother. It's only been a month since I've disappeared. I just wondered, if she saw me now, would she be happy, if she knew her baby was going to be okay?"

I was feeling reckless and a plan came to me. "What was your address again, Rai?"

"1691, Red fern Street."

I was surprised: it was not too far away from this venue, in a middle-class neighborhood near here. "Is that so?" I smiled and wrapped my arms around his waist. "Hold on tight," I whispered into his ear, and then we were flying.

Rai gasped and clung to me so hard I swore he would draw blood, and I simply laughed. And suddenly we were standing outside of a house: a modest home, not too different from the other houses on the block, with a porch and a moderately nice yard. And yet Rai gasped as though it were a palace.

He looked at me and I nodded, and with an ecstatic squeal and a kiss on my cheek he ran up to the front door, touching it reverently before knocking with a shaking hand.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"It's nothing. Many of us would give anything for a chance to tie off our loose ends like this. Make it worth it."

The door was flung open to reveal a tired-looking but nevertheless gorgeous African-American woman. The second she saw Rai she screamed and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly to her chest.

"MY BABY! Oh, my precious baby, oh my god, don't you EVER DO THAT TO ME AGAIN! EVER! YOU HEAR ME?" Her eyes went past him to me. "Who's this man? Did you find my baby and bring him home?"

"You could say that," I said, smiling.

"Momma, let's go inside," Rai said gently.

"Oh, right." She smothered her face in kisses and pushed him through the door. "You come in, too!" she said fiercely at me, pulling on my sleeve. "I owe you some hospitality at least."

Once we were inside I sat down on the couch. It may not have been as extravagant as anything I would have lived in, but Rai's home had a warm, lived-in feel to it. His mother bustled about, fetching us coffees which we were unable to drink. Finally, she sat down and studied her son.

"Look at you! You're all dressed up- are you wearing makeup? Where have you BEEN?"

He giggled. "I'm not wearing makeup, Momma."

"Did this man buy you those clothes? Why did you vanish for a month?" Tears sprung to her big, brown eyes. "I was so worried… if you ever do that to me again, boy-"

Rai smiled. "Lestat bought me these clothes. I'm okay, momma, he's been taking care of me. But, Momma… I can't…" He choked on his words. "I can't stay."

"What?" she asked, freezing with her mug of coffee raised midway to her mouth. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…" He sighed. "I can't explain it to you, momma, I can't stay. But I didn't wanna leave you thinking the worst about me. I wanted to tell you… your little boy is alright, he's in good hands, and he's thinking of you." He kissed her on the cheek, where a tear was sliding its way down towards her chin.

She turned to me, crying and shaking, and rage took the place of her sadness.

"What is this all about? You're taking away my son? I can't let you do this, I can't-" She sprung to her feet, her coffee clattering to the floor, splashing all over the nice, clean carpet. "It's your fault, don't take him away…" She collapsed against my chest, sobbing. "Don't take away my little boy, he's all I have, I won't let you…"

I tilted up her chin. "Now look at me. You are a strong and beautiful woman, and your son loves you more than his life itself. Don't you EVER, EVER forget that." Really, she almost reminded me of Gabrielle, such a fierce, strong creature.

Rai embraced her and stroked her hair. "I have to go, momma. I'm always thinking of you. I promise. I'm safe and I'm happy and I will not forget you."

She was just sobbing now, clinging to Rai, and then she pulled away from him and dried her tears and stared at me ferociously. "You had better take care of my son, you hear me? Don't let ANYTHIN' happen to my boy."

I kissed her on the cheek. "I won't, I promise. You've raised an amazing boy."

After a long, tearful hug with his mother, Rai and I had to leave to beat the rising sun.

His mother waved goodbye at the door as we walked down the driveway. I smiled and whispered into Rai's ear.

"Want to give her a show?"

He couldn't answer me, however, because I had looped my arms around his waist and we were flying. I swore, right before I left, I heard his mother whisper something about 'angels'. If only she knew how wrong she was.

Things continued like that for months. We continued spoiling Rai and Takeda shamelessly, and we were happier than any of us had been in a long time. And while I loved my little Rai, both Louis and Armand loved to lavish attention on Takeda.

Takeda was a broken soul, a sufferer like Louis and like my Nicki. There was this aura he had that made it obvious he had been hurt badly in the past, and it almost made one want to take him in their arms and kiss away his pain. There was no way to erase this stain that had been left on him, these six years of abuse, but we did all we could to make his future outshine this shadow. Armand, especially, seemed fond of him. He would lay with Takeda in his bed during the day (Takeda refused to sleep in a coffin outright, it had something to do with his maker) and calming him when bad dreams took hold of him.

Really, all of us felt something we hadn't in a very long time- life. But as they say, all good things must come to an end, and the trouble started sooner than we would have wished. Time had flown by quickly and before we knew it, it had been one year of our time with our beloved little strays. In fact, it was the one-year anniversary…

* * *


	4. Carnival

Chapter Four: Carnival

(Takeda)

"Where are you taking me?" I complained to anyone who would hear. "Well?"

Lestat smirked at me. "You shall see when we get there, Takeda."

I frowned and sat back in the cushy limousine seat, grouchy.

That fateful night months ago when Rai and I had been transformed seemed like a distant dream. Ever since Armand had rescued me, life (or death), had become a flurry of party after party, new clothes, hunting amongst the evildoer, and having attention lavished on us by Louis, Lestat and Armand.

It was unbelievable, really, a complete 180 degree turn. To be pulled from the pits of hell to the lap of luxury, it was hard to decide which was more real sometimes. I would awake in the hours of the day, terrified that Lucas would be standing over me, aching from the ghosts of bruises and cuts, blood-tinged sweat and tears soaking my face. And then I would look, and Armand would be lying next to me looking for the entire world like a sleeping angel, and everything would be OK.

I was almost unsure what to do with this attention, this…affection, so unused to it I was. A deep part of me was petrified that they were just baiting me, trying to earn my trust through gifts and sweet words so they could hurt me again. Lestat compared us to puppies that he and the others had adopted. If this was so, I was the puppy someone had kicked. I was cautious not to let my hopes get too high, because the higher they were, the more the damage when they crashed and burned.

That's why I was wary when Lestat burst in and demanded that we wear our very best clothes because we were going somewhere special. As I sat in the stretch limo he had hired I fidgeted impatiently.

Louis smiled at me softly. "Takeda, if you keep fidgeting like that you will rumple your suit."

"How am I supposed to sit calmly as we drive off to some destination I don't know to do god-knows what because no-one will tell me what is going on?" I snapped.

Armand toyed with my hair. "Really, you do not seem to know the meaning of the word 'surprise.'"

I knew that I was pouting rather childishly, but I did nothing to stop myself. This seemed to amuse Lestat to no end, who was struggling to hold back laughter.

Rai, who loved to sleep in late, had only just awoken when Lestat piled us all into the limo, and now lay snuggled against Lestat's chest with half-lidded eyes. I shot him a smile and he shyly returned it. Ever since 'that night', Rai and I had become brothers, not just by our blood but by this unshakeable bond that had formed the second he held Lucas down to give me his immortal blood. I felt such a protective instinct over him, like real brothers do, sometimes I was convinced we really were related.

I sighed and sat back in the limo, wishing we had just flown instead. (Although neither Rai nor I was old or strong enough to fly.) Armand, his fingers still wound through my hair, smiled. "Takeda, takeda, you're like a child in your impatience. We have all the time in the world now. Impatience is a habit that you will forget as the years pass."

"Well, most forget it," Louis said, shooting a sharp glance at Lestat who pointedly ignored him. Instead, the blond vampire hummed a song to himself.

"See I can not be forsaken…" he sang softly, and then cut off mid-song to throw open the door and spring from his seat. "We're here!" He gave the driver a hefty tip and his most dazzling smile before springing from the limo and pulling Rai and Louis out by the hands. Armand and I followed, more composed, and I surveyed our surroundings.

It was a carnival, a huge, glittering gem against the night- more splendorous with my vampire eyes than I could ever have imagined. I had only been to one carnival when I was a kid in Japan, but the memory of it seemed shallow against the lights and sounds and thrills of this place.

"I thought you'd like this," Lestat said with a smirk. "I wanted to take us somewhere special. Do you know what this night is?"

Rai and I shook our heads.

Louis smiled. "You should. Today is the anniversary of one year since Armand brought you home to us."

"A whole year?" Rai said with a gasp.

"No way," I breathed. With Lucas, the passage of time was achingly slow, the pain dragging hours into days and years into centuries. "It seems as if it was only a month-"

"Time will pass faster and faster as you age," Armand said with a smile. "What seems so long to mortals is but the blink of an eye to us."

"So you've only known us for an instant," I said softly.

"It has been one of my favorite instances," he replied, turning towards the carnival, his auburn curls moving lightly in the breeze.

"I haven't felt so alive since-" began Louis, and then trailed off.

"Never mind, there is much to do and see before sunrise!" Lestat said briskly, dragging us along by the hands. I sighed and let myself drown in the lights and sounds fending off the night.

(Lestat)

We felt alive.

Louis was right, I hadn't felt life like this in a while. It seemed as thought this old in me was quick once more.

We romped around the carnival like ancient children. I played foolish games which I won with ease despite how obviously rigged they were, winning soft toy after soft toy until Louis couldn't carry any more. Rai and Takeda convinced Armand and Louis to go on some towering mechanical monstrosity called the 'space roller'. Armand screamed "let me down, let me down, let me down" the entire time and Louis gripped the rail so tightly that he left perfect imprints of his fingers in the thick metal. After that we played on something called 'bumper cars', small automobiles whose entire purpose was to be rammed into the other cars again and again. This was my favorite by far, even when Louis rammed me against a wall. After that, Rai and Takeda had to feed, so we took them to feast amongst the corrupt, swindling carnies.

It was as Rai finished feeding, holding the corpse of a carnie tightly as though it was a lover, that we felt it- a vampire approaching.

Armand and I looked at one another in concern. We would most likely have to slay this vampire. What can I say? Charismatic and charming and famous as I was, I seemed to have "pissed off" a lot of people. They just HAD to seek me out and do something about it. Maybe it was jealousy. Whatever it was, it usually ended in death, and not mine.

"What's going on?" Rai asked, voice still thick from the afterglow of the drink, dropping the carnie's body to the floor with a dull 'thud'.

"One of our kind approaches," Armand answered.

"Maybe they want my autograph," I declared with my most dazzling smile.

Louis rolled his eyes like a mortal teenager. I laughed, seeing such a human expression on his normally serious face.

"What are you going to do?" Takeda cut in.

"Kill them, most likely," I said nonchalantly.

The strays looked horrified. "WHAT?"

"You're such innocents! Anyone who comes to us does not have such friendly intentions. Besides, it's known amongst our kind that we are not to be disturbed, and that New Orleans is MY territory. Anyone who ignores that is a fool."

"Armand didn't kill us," Rai pointed out.

"Well, that broke every expectation we had of Armand," Louis said with a small shadow of a smile.

"You were an exception," Armand retorted, looking pointedly at Louis.

"Enough talk. Let's see this fellow vampire," I said, looking out of the tent flap. Amongst the crowd was a visible paleness, contrasting sharply from the faces of flushed happy mortals with their cotton candy and corn dogs.

_What are you doing in New Orleans? It is well known that this is my territory,_ I said with my Silent voice to the immortal outside.

He looked startled. The _vampire Lestat? Wow. I'm speaking to a celebrity._

As I came closer, I studied him. He dressed in the fashion that modern teenagers incorrectly label 'Goth'- a draping of chains and leather with fishnets and safety pins aplenty. His hair was mid-length, messy spikes of a sandy brown color spilling in different directions. His eyes were purple. Not blue-violet and reflective like mine, but deep, royal purple. His mouth quirked up at the corners giving him the impression of someone who knew a joke that you didn't. His face was slender and mischievously good-looking. He had been around 16 at the time of his death, not more than a boy.

_So you've come for me?_ I asked of him.

_No, quite the opposite, really. I was hoping to get done what I need to and get the hell out of here before you noticed me._

His honesty made me laugh. _And what do you need to get done?_

_I'm looking for two vampires, not much more than fledglings. Since there's no Undead Yellow pages I thought I'd have to look for them the hard way._

_Speak. Tell me the names of those you seek. tell me about yourself._

_I'm called Knife. I don't really know the names of the ones I seek, just their bloodline._

"Knife," I said aloud, the name foreign on my tongue.

_That's me. Can I approach? We'll speak face to face._

_Stay where you are, I'll come to you._

"What's going on?" Rai repeated.

"I'm going to have a nice chat with our friend," I said cheerfully. "Go home and I will rejoin you when I'm done."

"Are you sure of this?" Louis asked in concern. Louis, ever the humanitarian. I laughed.

"What could go wrong? No, actually, do not answer that. I'll be home soon."

I cast a glance at Takeda and Rai, who clutched each other's hands like children. "Don't let my reputation for getting into trouble precede me. This will be routine." I kissed Rai's cheek and patted Takeda on the head. "Go home. And take all those plush toys with you… I'm sure they'd look charming on Louis' coffin." I laughed and made my way out into the throng of humanity.


End file.
